"I still don't get it" Grian muttered, snaking an olive from Mumbo's plate. "You didn't even duel anyone. How did you get hurt?"

Mumbo glanced at his bandaged arm and gave a strained smile.

"Someone's spell ricocheted off the wall and hit me" he explained. "And stop stealing my food!"

Mumbo slapped his hand away and Grian giggled.

"If you don't want me to tease you, then don't be so reactive"

"Impossible" Iskall chided with a smirk, making Grian grin and Mumbo scowl. "Oh Grian I wanted to ask, False is your sister, right?"

"Yeah" Grian replied, hooking his arm around Mumbo's neck and sneaking another olive off his plate.

Iskall laughed as Mumbo's face turned scarlet before glancing back at Grian, who popped the olive in his mouth with a triumphant smile.

"Right, so why do you guys have different last names?"

Grian's mischievous smile faltered and he coughed violently into his elbow.

"Oh... I, uh-"

"Grian"

Doc appeared behind the small Slytherin and flicked the back of his head.

"Quidditch practice, come on"

A look of relief washed over Grian's features and he jumped up at a lightning speed.

"Sorry gotta go! See you guys later!" He called, grabbing Doc's wrist and pulling his brother behind him.

"That was weird" Stress remarked.

"Did I say something wrong?" Iskall asked, his eyebrows furrowed on concern as he watched the Slytherins leave.

Scar shrugged.

"I don't know. Mumbo, do you know anything?"

Mumbo shook his head. To be honest, his face was still hot from the residual sense of Grian's touch, and his brain was a bit fuzzy trying to memorize and bank the sensation.

He heard a scoff to his left and turned to look over at a Ravenclaw boy who was staring at the small group from the corner of his eye.

"What?" Iskall asked, his raised eyebrow daring the boy to misstep.

"Nothing. You guys just really don't know your friend that well is all"

"And you do?" Stress replied, the bite in her tone undermining the sweet smile that still graced her features.

The boy rolled his eyes.

"Not personally, no. It's just that my dad is in charge of that screwed up family at the ministry, if that's even a word to describe that mess"

"Excuse me, but what hell are you talking about?" Mumbo questioned, his fists gripping his utensils tightly.

The boy sighed.

"Your weird little friend is a foster child in the Quod House"

When none of them reacted the boy chuckled icily and grinned.

"The Quod House? Otherwise known as the house of forgotten children? Otherwise known as the foster home they put the children of evil wizards who are locked up in Azkaban"

Stress gasped and Mumbo felt his jaw drop.

Scar however looked confused.

"What's Azkaban?"

"Oh God" the boy groaned, sliding out from his seat and standing up. "I can't handle this level of ignorance"

Scar, like Mumbo, was muggle born. If Mumbo didn't have such an interest in books on magical law he wouldn't know what Azkaban was either, and he glared at the boy's retreating back.

Asshole.

"Azkaban is the wizard prison" Iskall explained, and Scar nodded as understanding dawned on him.

"Wait, so Grian's parents are in prison? But... that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with him"

"That's true" Stress said. "But people in the wizarding world are superstitious, and it certainly doesn't help that he's a Slytherin. Doc too"

"No wonder he doesn't like to talk about his family" Mumbo mumbled, pushing his plate away. He was no longer hungry.

~~~

"E-excuse me"

Madam Pince glanced over her impossibly tiny spectacles at the tall Hufflepuff and nodded.

"Yes?"

"I was, uh, wondering if you had any books on the, uh, Quod House?" Mumbo asked quietly, tugging at his tie.

The librarian raised an eyebrow at him and narrowed her gaze.

"And why do you want a book on that? Can't your little blond friend answer your questions?"

Mumbo's cheeks reddened and he shook his head.

Does everyone know about this besides us?

"No ma'am. I'm just curious. May I please have the book?"

Madam Pince sighed and shook her head.

"I don't understand why you'd want to read about such a place, but nevertheless..."

She trailed off as she moved out from behind her counter and walked between the rows of books, beckoning for Mumbo to follow.

After walking for several minutes, they arrived at the back of the enormous library in a section so far removed from the study tables, the books were all covered in a light layer of dust.

Madam Pince hummed along one of the upper shelves and pulled out a barely touched book with black leather bindings and blocky silver letters.

"Here" she handed the book over and gave him one last withering glance before shuffling away and leaving Mumbo to wipe dust from the cover.

"The History of The Quod House and its Impact on the Wizarding World" he read aloud, lowering himself to sit on the ground and relaxing against the old wooden shelves.

As he opened the book it became abundantly clear that it had barely been read. The pages stood stiffly without a single smudge or crinkle, and the log at the inner front cover showed no one had checked it out in over thirty years.

The Quod House, more commonly known as the house of the forgotten children, is an orphanage that houses the offspring of the wizarding world's most violent and dangerous criminals. Founded in 1807, this foster home was originally an institution used to confine the forgotten children and keep them isolated from the rest of the world. At the time, it was believed that true malevolence was passed from parent to child, and thus the forgotten children were incarcerated to a prison of their own in which they would live out their (usually) short lives. Their magical abilities were regulated and mitigated to help keep staff safe.  

However, in the early 20th century a researcher from the ministry was sent to the Quod House to inspect and was "disgusted at the putrid stench and decayed living conditions the innocent children were suffering through" (Ministry Report #62916, 1911). Control of the Quod House was passed to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the treatment of the forgotten children was deemed unethical. Under new administration, the Quod House was given new caretakers and the children were tested and placed in Hogwarts. Rumors quickly spread throughout the United Kingdom of the lineage of the forgotten children and a protest to kick them out began. When the ministry refused, a staggering 600 students were pulled from Hogwarts by concerned parents and the forgotten children quickly became associated with " parasites, poisoning and destroying everything in their path" (The Daily Prophet, 1956). 

Although the stigmas surrounding the Quod House lessened overtime, their are still many Witches and Wizards who believe that the forgotten children should be cut off from the population and segregated. In this book, I will discuss the genetics of dark wizards and their heritability, the lasting effects of isolation on a child's psyche, and what we can expect from the future of the Quod House.

Mumbo slammed the cover of the book shut, his blood running cold.

"No wonder..." he mumbled to himself. "Grian..."

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you did, please consider leaving a like and a comment to let me know what you think!